Retired FBI agent: Outdoor events must adapt
The Las Vegas massacre should change how organizers plan festivals and outdoor music events, a former FBI agent said.
“It’s going to change the way all these outdoor venues are addressed by security,” said Jeffrey Danik, who retired in 2009 after 29 years in the bureau, including counterterrorism work in South Florida.
“It should get them in the mindset,” Danik said. “You have to adapt immediately to the new threat. This threat has been talked about for a long time by many security and police professionals, but we were lucky so far. Luck ran out in Vegas, obviously.”
In Boston, tens of thousands of fans have flocked to Fenway Park this year for concerts by musicians including Lady Gaga, Billy Joel and James Taylor.
And with a full lineup of upcoming concerts and sports games at local venues, including Bruno Mars tomorrow and Sunday at the TD Garden, officials yesterday sought to reassure people that security would be up to the task, particularly in the wake of new reports that the gunman behind the worst mass shooting in U.S. history came close to striking Fenway Park, researching nearby hotels, most of which offered only blocked views inside the ballpark.
A spokeswoman for the Red Sox said that while there was no credible threat to Fenway, the Sox have been working on increased security measures for postseason games.
“I think we need to keep calm,” former Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis said, “and carry on.”